F-35 gets precision target engagement with Raytheon JSOW missile

Navy's Precision Guided Standoff Weapon is being integrated on the F-35 C variant

April 17, 2018

Raytheon Company and the US Navy completed the final developmental test to integrate the Joint Standoff Weapon C onto the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's C variant, keeping the low-cost, air-to-ground missile on track for full deployment in 2019.

The JSOW glide weapon uses a GPS-inertial navigation system with an imaging infrared seeker that can identify and track targets autonomously. JSOW C weighs 1,000 pounds and is effective against high-value land targets at ranges greater than 70 nautical miles, day or night, and in adverse weather conditions.

"With JSOW C in its internal weapons bay, the Navy's F-35C can now eliminate the toughest ground targets from significant standoff ranges," said Mike Jarrett, vice president of Raytheon Air Warfare Systems. "JSOW's advanced warhead and smart fuse provide fighter pilots with plenty of flexibility against hard and soft targets – plus, it has many programmable effects."

Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the F-35, and the F-35 Joint Program Office participated in the latest test, which took place on the Navy's China Lake ranges in California.